Summary
The Morning Show Season 1, Episode 5, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” sees the network feeling the pressure from an upcoming NY Times Article.
This recap of Apple TV+s The Morning Show Season 1, Episode 5, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” contains significant spoilers. You can read the recap of the previous episode by clicking these words.
“No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” puts the characters in a fragile position where they all feel the anticipation of being exposed following on from Bradley’s first interview on The Morning Show. Alex scathingly asks Bradley never to question her integrity ever again, and Chip pulls the new co-anchor aside and reminds her about the rules. It’s all heating up as we reach the midway point of the series.
In a stunningly performed moment, Mitch comes to the studio to everyone’s surprise. He enters the staff space, and jokingly asks who removed all the photos of him. Mitch apologizes for the show getting hit by a bus and tells everyone that he misses them. Mitch then inappropriately asks his ex-colleagues to speak for him on his behalf and when it is met by silence he becomes enraged — “this is my f–king life”. As the security guards draw nearer, he lets everyone know that regardless, he sees them as family. As he walks away, Bradley chases after him and asks who knew.
What a great scene. This is Steve Carell at his best.
Episode 5 does not stop for a single breath. Producer Mia tells Bradley that she liked her interview for The Morning Show but warns her to be careful of her upcoming article with the New York Magazine. The interviewer is Maggie, and she is cunning.
In the interview, Maggie asks Bradley if Alex is up for the feminist revolution, and continues to probe further about her co-anchor. Bradley handles the interview well, managing to smartly sidetrack the clever questions. After the interview, Bradley is stunned that her father has left her a message.
But, the New York Times is now on UBA’s back, and in a telephone call with Fred and Cory, it is revealed that more accusers have come forward with their stories. The New York Times lists the incidents they know about and make them aware that they are going to run the piece. Fred asks his lawyers to strike a deal and lets his frustration out on Cory. By the way, Cory never seems phased by any of this.
With the article looming over UBA, Chip wants to know how much the story is going to expose him and the network. He asks a close friend at the New York Times but he refuses to jeopardize the story by giving information away prior to the publication.
At the midway point, Episode 5 reveals a world of privileged people worrying about their potential demise. Alex hosts a party for the New York Theatre Development fund. There’s a lot of murmurings and you can sense it. Maggie from the New York Magazine speaks to Alex about Bradley’s interview with the accuser Ashley and Alex keeps on using the word “we”. Maggie wonders why Alex keeps using “we” and asks if the conversation is on record, getting under Alex’s skin. Maggie coldly tells Alex that she knows her too well and that she is not going to turn a blind eye — Maggie knows that Alex knew about Mitch’s behavior.
Meanwhile, Audra, from another network, is trying to entice Daniel from The Morning Show.
Moving on, Chip turns up drunk to the fundraiser and grabs Fred’s arm and asks him why he wasn’t in the call about the New York Times column. It becomes extremely tense between Cory and Alex, but Cory insists he admires Alex and calls her a crazy genius. Alex does not believe any of his praises but Cory grabs the microphone and invites her to sing the song “Not While I’m Around”, which contains the lyrics “nothing is gonna harm you, not while I’m around”. They sing together, and the lyrics are extremely ironic. It’s a super weird duet, with the crowd sensing a strange vibe. After the duet, Alex looks upset. She freaks out and tells her partner she is going to go see Mitch. Meanwhile, Fred seems to be on the phone to someone, striking a deal.
Bradley takes her colleague’s offer and attends Claire’s birthday do. They talk about sex and relationships in the workplace and the limits for men. Bradley asks who knew about Mitch’s behavior. Claire talks about Mitch and states his balls deserve to be cut off which is met by an emotional response from Mia. Hannah asks Mia if she sympathizes with the show or Mitch. Mia decides to head home, drunk and exhausted from the conversation.
Alex and Mitch drive around the city together and enjoy a friendly, intimate conversation. Mitch warns her about Bradley and then describes a potential new co-anchor who sounds exactly like him. He pulls over and tells Alex that he knows she misses him and makes a potential proposal of them both being together. Alex declares that the world sets higher standards for her, way above a sexual predator. They kiss briefly, but you can sense the regret as soon as it happens. And then… the New York Times article drops.
At Claire’s party, all the women are reading the New York Times article, shocked by its contents. Bradley gets a random phone call and decides to leave the party. It turns out to be her father and she rings him back. He tells Bradley that he is proud, and she asks him to not call her again. Bradley then resorts to sitting at a bar, taking in multiple shots, before having sex with the bartender in the back alley.
Alex asks Mitch to take her home after reading the article. Although she knew about Mitch’s behavior, the article brought it all back. Meanwhile, Chip laughs at the article.
The Morning Show Season 1, Episode 5, “No One’s Gonna Harm You, Not While I’m Around” closes with a drunk Bradley visiting Cory who is rather emotional by the night’s events, but is also extremely drunk. Mitch rings Fred about the article and says, “you are going down motherf–ker”.
At the midway point, it is not clear where the story is heading, but it is incredibly intriguing.
